PORT HURON, MI — A new restaurant owned and operated by the Grand Rapids-based Meritage Hospitality Group will open this spring in a large-scale, $24 million waterfront development under construction in Port Huron.

Freighters, a new maritime-focused casual dining concept by Meritage, will open in 2013 inside the Hilton Double Tree Hotel and serve as the exclusive caterer for the hotel and Blue Water Area Convention Center development on the St. Clair River.

The publicly traded restaurant group (MHGU), which opened the Crooked Goose this summer in Walker, originally planned the establishment as another location for their Twisted Rooster chain, a concept piloted last year in Grand Rapids.

Orion Construction of Grand Rapids is managing construction for the entire development, which represents a public/private partnership between the city of Port Huron, St. Clair County, Baker College and other private investors.

The development plan includes 45,000 square feet of meeting and convention facilities, a newly renovated 149-room Hilton Double Tree Hotel, the 200-seat Freighters restaurant and a Baker College Culinary Institute with nearby student housing.

Meritage, a project developer, called the restaurant a development “centerpiece.”

“The unique destination nature of this waterfront property represents a landmark opportunity for Meritage to add value in a significant Michigan public/private community re-investment program," said Meritage CEO Robert Schermer.

Meritage’s exclusive contract with the hotel will last 15 years, while the contract with the convention center will be for about three years once the center is built, according to the Times-Herald.

The hotel and convention center will have a new, dedicated exit ramp from I-69 providing direct access to the property for drivers traveling between the U.S. and Canada.

The hotel is being remodeled from the former Thomas Edison Inn, which Meritage originally built and owned until 1998. The hotel and restaurant are scheduled to open in the spring of 2013, followed by the Blue Water Area Convention Center in 2015.